AITA for walking out on my job when they almost made me miss an exam?

Balancing college exams and a retail job is a tightrope walk, but for one 20-year-old student, her employer’s scheduling betrayal pushed her to the edge. After clearly stating her exam needs months in advance and delivering top-notch work, she found herself scheduled every day during exam week, nearly missing a crucial test. Fed up, she quit on the spot, leaving her team in a lurch but her priorities intact. Now, with coworkers grumbling, she’s questioning her exit.

This isn’t just a job dispute; it’s a fiery tale of standing up for education and calling out workplace disrespect. With Reddit cheering her on, the student’s left wondering if her walkout was justified. Clock into this retail drama and decide: was she right to quit, or did she burn a bridge too soon?

‘AITA for walking out on my job when they almost made me miss an exam?’

Now I(20f) work in retail part time and also go to school full time. Now I had made it very clear at the beginning before I was hired before I did any training and even mentioned it during the interview that I put my school first.

That doesn't mean I'll be a s**t employee, in fact, I did get one of the highest sales in the store the first 2 months of working there. I show up on time, I don't make excuses, I do my work and then some. But that does mean that if I have an exam I will need a half-day the day before and a day off during the exam.

I made it aware to all the supervisors, assistant managers, and the manager manager. They told me that was perfectly fine I would just need to show my schedule to work around it. Because I work in retail, in certain seasons you can't have the entire week off but you can work fewer days/ shorter shifts either one.

My school, thankfully, gives the students the exam schedule during the 3rd week of the school year, and because of COVID, they sent out like 7 emails telling everyone that this was it. So I let them know these were the days, I needed this certain schedule IF POSSIBLE and to see how we can work around it.

I should note this was 3 months in advance. They said that's fine just let me know when it comes closer because they can't schedule that far ahead. Fair enough. I asked them to make a note of it though so they also see it themselves that I on this day, asked them for this schedule.

I also recorded the conversation and made a note myself so they don't try to pull s**t. They did and that was the end. Cue panic attack. I got the schedule and I am on there every. single. day. Now, for part-time I am pretty sure you can't do that. I let them know the day I got it and they said they would change it tomorrow.

I checked the next day and I am still on there. I ask and bug them to let them know, although you have me, the day I have my exams I will not be there. They're saying I never told them, I show the recording and say that's not the case and I let everyone know.

They told me if I don't show up I am fired. So I showed up but told them I needed to be home this time, they kept me over my 8 hours and I barely made it home to take the exam. They called me the next day to go over my performance and told me I should be here. I told them that I quit and walk out the door.

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Now where I may be the a**hole. I knew they needed employees and it takes 3 months to allow them to put someone new out on the sales floor. Some of my co-workers think I am a little bit but understand where I am coming from. My thing is, they knew.

They knew in the beginning why I needed a certain schedule during exam week, they knew when I got my exam schedule which was 3 months prior before anything. They knew. I didn't slack off, I always showed up on time, I always did more work than needed, and would stay over my 8 hours if they needed me.. So AITA?

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Edit: Hi! I keep seeing the same question, yes I did remind all of them at least 3 weeks, so the start of the month, before my exam. I never asked them to make an exception The day I gave the exam schedule I just asked them to make a note of it.

We even have this thing, if you're familiar with TEAMs, you can request off days AND times you get off, and I even did that as well. But they only give us the schedule the day before that start of the next week (i.e Saturday night at 9).

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Prioritizing education over a job that disregards your boundaries is a power move, and this Reddit user’s decision to quit after her employer scheduled her against her exam needs was a stand for her future. Her proactive steps—notifying managers three months in advance, reminding them weeks prior, and even recording agreements—showed diligence, yet her employer’s refusal to adjust, coupled with a firing threat, was a clear power play. Quitting was her only leverage, though it strained coworker relations.

Retail scheduling conflicts are common. A 2023 study by the Economic Policy Institute found that 50% of part-time retail workers face unpredictable schedules, often clashing with personal priorities like education. The employer’s failure to honor verbal agreements, despite her high performance, reflects poor management.

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Career coach Alison Green advises, “Documenting agreements and setting firm boundaries early protects your priorities”. The user’s use of recordings and reminders was savvy, but future job contracts should include scheduling clauses in writing. For readers, advocating for clear workplace policies can prevent such clashes.

Heres what people had to say to OP:

Reddit stocked the shelves with support for this retail walkout, dishing out praise for the student’s resolve and shade for her employer’s tactics. Here’s what the community had to say about this scheduling saga:

fredo3469 - NTA. Its retail, so it's not surprising they would pull that bs on you. A lot of managers don't care about your schedule outside of the job, they just want to make sure they'll have enough people to cover the job.

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You also have more than enough notice about it, reminded them in time, and they still did it anyway. Even though not showing up is a bit of an AH move, they forced your hand and you called them on it.

[Reddit User] - **NTA, AT ALL**. From the beginning you made it very clear that your classes came first. You gave them a lot of time, and kept reminding them. You even showed them the recording and from my understanding, they seemed to not care at all.

They kept you at work longer that they should've had. I think you did everything right but they did not care. I worked in retail when I was 18 years old, not that long ago lol, and I know how exhausting it can be.

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I know how they tend to take advantage of you. And just like you did, I walked away because they did not respect me. If they really need employees that much, I feel like the least they could do is *respect them*.

Acewithoutatrace - Yeah no. Nta. You told them. You let them know, and they still refused. NTA

dat_eric - NTA. This sounds like a big box store like I have worked at before. I have never not had scheduling issues. You did all the prep, now recording without consent from both parties can be illegal in some states due to wiretapping laws so I don't know if they just dont care.

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A lot of these places are too lazy and disorganized to remember this stuff if it isn't done through their janky proprietary system online so if you neglected to go into that as bad as it sounds they are justified if that is the case. If the scheduling is by hand and they forgot then you need to find a new employer.

Edit: Also I don't know where you're from but 2-3 weeks is the customary amount of heads up to not get a 'do not hire' rec to truly 100% not be an a**hole. But that's just being nice which they don't deserve it sounds like.

Poekienijn - NTA. They said they were ok with this arrangement and then tried to take advantage of you.

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[Reddit User] - NTA - your employer’s failure to plan according to available information is not your fault, don’t feel guilty for a second. Consider it a life lesson to put any scheduling requirements on your next hiring contract, pencil it in and have them initial it and take a picture if necessary.  A lot of retail places have high turnover,

so what was promised today can be ignored tomorrow by the following manager, and you could lose an opportunity for severance if they decide to throw you under the bus because verbal agreements don’t stand for anything in the corporate world. You sound like you gave them every opportunity to stay on top of this;

if I were your supervisor I would have appreciated the reminder and given every effort to support a dedicated student (as I have in the past). It always sucks letting down your teammates, but it sounds like you’ve chosen the priorities that are best for your long term success and I’m sure they’ll understand in time. Best of luck.

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compassionfever - NTA. If they are so concerned about needing employees, they need to be concerned with treating them well. They went out of their way to be dishonest and unfair. If their word means nothing, you don't need to worry about their needs. They deliberately over-scheduled you the one week you said you had limited availability. This was a power play, and they lost.

stenk - NTA, if you work in the US most states are at-will. You can quit just as much as they can fire you. And nobody can say boo.

fliffers - INFO: Did you remind them closer to the date? It sounds like the timeline was:. I let them know these were the days... 3 months in advance. They said that's fine just let me know when it comes closer because they can't schedule that far ahead. Fair enough.. Cue panic attack.

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I got the schedule and I am on there every. single. day. *Did* you remind them closer to the schedule being made? It seems like you agreed to do so, but didn't. Asking them to make a note of the conversation was a smart thing to do,

because that way when you ask them again a few weeks away from the day, if they say they can't you remind them you warned them months ago. But that doesn't mean that you didn't ever have to mention it again or that they check those notes every time they make a schedule.

One_Discipline_3868 - NTA. Retail owner here. I hire a lot of high school and college kids, and school work is FIRST. They get to bring their work to the store and if we’re slow, they work on it. Side work waits. I ask them how they are doing and avoid giving them big lists if they are behind. School is first, always.

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These fiery takes back the user’s bold move, but do they overlook the impact on her team? Reddit’s clear: school comes first!

This retail drama, fueled by a student’s fight to protect her exam schedule, showcases the cost of standing up to workplace disrespect. The Reddit user’s walkout after being over-scheduled was a gutsy call to prioritize her education, but leaving her team short-staffed stirred mixed feelings. As she moves forward, the question lingers: was quitting the right play, or could she have fought harder from within? What would you do when a job threatens your priorities? Drop your stories, advice, or spicy takes below!

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